


United We Stand

by FireCharmer



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: EndgameFix-it, Even Loki, Everyone lives, Gen, Post-Season/Series 03 Fix-It, Power of Friendship, happy endings, im still in denial
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:00:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26152300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FireCharmer/pseuds/FireCharmer
Summary: Tony Stark was ready to give his life to save the universe. But come on, he's got a whole team of superheroes at his back...is that his only option?In which the Avengers save the world and everyone lives through the power of teamwork and friendship and Loki is just there.
Kudos: 11





	United We Stand

Fire rained from the sky and filled the air with smoke, the atmosphere was thick and horrid. Soldiers fell to the earth, never to rise again while monstrous beasts ripped at their bodies, Chitauri streaked through the sky and all around, untouchable....and the Avengers were losing.

After five terrible years of the pain of defeat, the universe had blessed them with one more chance. And now...it would mean nothing. They had only made things worse. They had awoken a monster that they should have let lie, and now it was killing them. This was the end of humanity.

Tony Stark lay there half kneeling on the ground...he didn't think he could fight any longer. He had to, but...just one moment.....Morgan's face flashed in his mind, but it was so dim and far away that he didn't even have the strength left to reach for her. Thanos was raising the gauntlet, a look of triumph on his face....

And then a streak of golden light flashed past him as Captain Marvel slammed into Thanos, glowing like a dying star. Her fist slammed into the side of his head, wrong-footing him, but he seized her by the arm and hurled her away again. Undaunted, she rose up again, and with one last cry she seized his hand and yanked it down, pulling his fingers apart. Irritated, Thanos brought his other fist around to strike her with a blow that would have killed any mortal. Carol Danvers didn't even flinch.

Get up....get up... She couldn't keep holding him alone, Tony knew. He had to help...he was Ironman, wasn't he? He had to fix this...for his daughter...for the world....he struggled to his feet.

Thanos pulled the Power Stone out of the gauntlet and with one blow, he flung Captain Marvel across the field again in an explosion of purple fire. Triumphantly, he replaced the Stone, roaring in pain as the radiation once again flowed through his body.

Where is everyone? What do I do?? Tony had to stop him.....there was someone there, not moving, not fighting...just watching Tony with an aged look on his face. Slowly, Stephen Strange raised a shaking hand....one finger. One chance. One chance left to save the universe...and to save his daughter.

Ironman slammed into Thanos with renewed energy, seizing the gauntlet in a last, desperate attempt to wrench it away. Thanos seized him and threw him aside like an annoying fly. A slow smile was growing on his face....he raised his hand.

"I am...inevitable." he said mockingly, repeating the words he knew that his future self had burned into everyone's minds. He snapped his fingers.

A dull clank....and nothing else. Confused, Thanos snapped again, and then turned over his hand to reveal six empty holes in the gauntlet.

A few feet away, Ironman knelt on the ground, covered in dirt and blood, but radiating defiance and a sense of finality. On his hand, the six Infinity Stones glittered, shining through the smoke and the muck.

"And I am...Ironman." he whispered. He raised his finger to snap.

And then...

"Stark! No!" A voice screamed from a few yards away.

Caught off guard, Tony stopped, hand still trembling, the power of the Stones still flowing down his arm...

Peter Quill sprinted across the field towards him, jumping over the bodies and pieces of twisted metal, hand outstretched. "Stark!" he shouted again. "Take my hand!"

Before Tony could even comprehend what he was saying, Quill seized his left hand, lying limp by his side, gasping in pain as the power of the gauntlet streamed through him as well....

But on his other side, Drax seized his shoulder with a firm hand...Antman and the Wasp sprung out of nowhere, hands already joined as they reached out to lengthen the chain...Black Panther landed beside them....Pepper followed, and then Spiderman, War Machine, the Scarlet Witch, Dr. Strange, Thor....

All around the battlefield, heroes tossed weapons away and grabbed hold of one another, creating one huge interlocking lattice of people, with Ironman and Thanos in the center. The Infinity Stones streamed through all of them with quick and deadly power, like rivulets of water streaking down a cliff...

Everything in Tony was numb, but the pain and the weight had diminished....and then someone caught hold of his arm, just below the gauntlet. Slowly, he turned to see Steve Rogers, helmet and shield gone, bloody but determined.

"Together?" Steve whispered, already shaking from the proximity of the Stones. Tony nodded once.

With one, final, desperate roar of disbelief, Thanos flung himself at Tony, but Captain Marvel flew in from behind, seizing him in a headlock and dragging him backwards. She looked up and gave the two leaders of the Avengers a nod. He's not going anywhere.

"How? You are mortals!!" Thanos screamed, struggling.

"No." Steve stared back at him unflinchingly. "We're Avengers."

Tony snapped his fingers.

The whole world went silent in his ears, and for a moment light filled his vision, blinding him, until the only thing he could feel was Steve's hand still grasping his arm, and Peter on the other side. It seemed to last forever....

But as it ended, as he finally fell, both Steve and Peter, breathless and pained from the energy of the Stones, caught him as they fell to their knees, supporting his limp figure. Then the Hulk was there, ripping the gauntlet off of Tony's hand and flinging it to the ground. The bright glow of the Stones diminished somewhat, and Tony gasped with relief, bruised, battered, broken...but alive.

Around the battlefield heroes stared around them in weary wonder, hands still clasping each other as if they were too tired to let go. Leviathans crumbled above them, raining ash down over their heads, Chitauri smoked away with angry shrieks that blew away in the wind, Thanos' minions stared at each other in disbelief, watching as the others all crumbled away.

A little uncertainly, Carol released Thanos from the headlock. The Titan stumbled away, a strange look on his face, as if he'd heard someone calling him. There was no violence in his actions, he did not try any last stand. He simply sat down on piece of rubble, slowly, as if he were a hundred years old, and bowed his head in defeat.

Then he was gone.

Pepper Potts ran from the line and rushed to her husbands side, her helmet sliding back down. Slowly, as if afraid of what she would find, she knelt in front of him, taking his burnt hand.

"Tony...."

"Mr. Stark?"

Peter Parker climbed fearfully over to join the little group. Silently, Thor and Hawkeye followed him. Thor came to stand by the Hulk, as if unsure what to do now, but Clint quietly bent down and picked up the gauntlet, holding it under one arm.

"Mr. Stark...we won, Mr. Stark...."

"We won...." Tony repeated. It was barely a whisper, but there was look in his eyes that showed he understood what was happening. The Arc Reactor flickered feebly in his chest but still continued to shine bravely, as it had done for nearly ten years.

"We won....we won..." The words were repeated all around the battlefield, a whisper rippling through the remaining ranks of heroes. There was no rejoicing, no cheers split the smoky air....but a sense of peace was settling over them all they no one had truly felt for five years.

For a moment, no one spoke. There was still so much to do...they had to restore the Infinity Stones, they had to get Tony to a hospital, they had to restore order to the world, which was surely in chaos...but for now everyone was silent, staying where they were, some falling to their knees...and savored the beautiful thought that the Earth was theirs again.

A sudden sound of sparks caused everyone to look up. It wasn't loud, but distinct enough so that it rang around the whole field. An orange portal was opening just a few feet from Thor, growing wider...wider....

Loki Laufeyson stepped through the portal, frowning slightly as he brushed off a bit of ash that had dared to land on his clothing. He wore the same blue outfit Thor had last seen him in, though it was a little more ragged. Dangling in his fingers was a Sling Ring from the Sanctum.

"Really? I missed it?"

* * * * *

"Everybody wants a happy ending, right? But it doesn't always roll that way. Maybe this time. We lost so much...but now we stand here in celebration. Families have been reunited...we got it back...and...well..something like a normal version of the planet has been restored. If there ever was such a thing. God, what a world. Universe now." Tony Stark chuckled, and stared down at the podium for a moment, a wry grin on his face. "IF you told me ten years ago that we weren't alone, let alone, you know, to this extent...I mean, I wouldn't have been surprised. But come on, you know? The epic forces of darkness and light that have come into play. And, for better or worse, this is the reality our children are gonna have to find a way to grow up in."

The conference hall was packed the the brim with people, and in the back, a couple reporters were snapping away with their cameras. But most were sitting with their families...parents reunited with their children, wives with their husbands...everyone was together.

At the front of the room, Tony stood at a podium with five or six microphones in front of him, dressed in a neat suit with his hair properly slicked back. His right arm was gone, but it had been replaced by a metal contraption he had made himself in six short weeks, painted to look like the Ironman suit. Just behind him stood Pepper Stark, smiling...and next to her, in a pretty blue dress, Morgan Stark fidgeted impatiently, staring around the hall with interest.

"We shouldn't have won that, you know. That whole gig we pulled off....it was quite a hassle, I'm still scratching my head about the survivability of it all. Then again, that's the hero gig, isn't it? Part of the journey is the end. And in the end...everything worked out exactly the way it was supposed to." He gave a sudden cocky smirk, the old Tony returning. "After all, I am Ironman."

The hall erupted into cheers and laughter as Tony raised his arms in a gesture of finality. Laughing, Pepper pulled his arms down and hugged him. Annoyed that she'd been left out, Morgan ran up to them and Tony swung her into his arms and into their three-person hug on the stage.

"Love you 3000, Morguna." Tony whispered in her ear.

Morgan squirmed slightly in his grasp so that she was facing him, and tapped her little finger on the end of his nose. "Me too." She said cheerfully. "Can we go get cheeseburgers now?"

* * * * *

Meanwhile, on New Asgard, Thor and Loki stood on cliff right outside the palace, staring off into the sky. Reunited once again, both brothers seemed older, one seemed significantly fatter, and the other perhaps a bit more subdued. Just behind them, Valkyrie stood, still dressed in civilian clothing.

"So when do we expect you back?" Loki asked Thor finally.

"Um....about that..." Thor said awkwardly.

"Thor." Valkyrie remonstrated. "Your people need a king."

Thor smiled. "They already have one."

Both Loki and Valkyrie were silent as Thor stared at them both.

"I really hope you're not looking at me." Loki said finally. "Because I have no intention of staying here, on Midgard of all places, to pick up your mess-"

"Don't be ridiculous." Thor said loftily. "Asgard needs a king they can trust."

"No." Valkyrie said with a disbelieving grin. "That's funny. Wait...you're serious?"

Thor nodded. "It's time for me to be who I'm meant to be. But you...you're a leader. That's who you are."

Valkyrie stared around her, down the city of Asgard below. "You know I'd make a lot of changes around here."

"I'm counting on it." Thor responded. "Your Majesty. Besides you've got a helper." he added, clapping a mortified Loki on the back.

"No. No, no. Absolutely not." Loki groused. "I'm not staying here for another week. I mean...." he glanced at Valkyrie, who was grinning at him. "I might...come....visit. At times." he said delicately, choosing his words carefully. "But I'm not staying. For long."

Thor laughed at him, and Loki glared back, but there wasn't any real malice in the look.

"What will you do?" Valkyrie asked Thor when the laughter had died down.

"I'm not sure. For the first time in a thousand years, I– I have no path." Thor sighed, and then turned around. "I do have a ride, though."

Down the hill a little ways, Benatar, the Guardian's ship was getting ready to take off. Rocket stood in front of it, looking impatient.

"Move it or lose it, hairbag." he called to Thor.

Thor laughed again as he started down the hill.

Loki and Valkyrie watched him go. "He'll be missed." Valkyrie noted.

"I doubt the people ever noticed he was here." Loki contradicted.

"I was talking about us." Valkyrie said, raising her eyebrows. "I'll miss him. You'll miss him."

"Oh." Loki was silent for a moment. "I'm sure I'll run across him sometime...."

"Where are you going?" Valkyrie asked. Loki gave her a signature, mischievous grin.

"Anywhere. Everywhere." He started back down the hill in the other direction, before looking back. "I will come back though. Sometimes. To visit." he amended.

"I'm counting on it."

* * * * *

In a secluded spot in the woods, a small version of the time travel unit had been set up, transported there by a trailer that sat nearby. On the other side, Bruce Banner, Bucky Barnes, and Sam Wilson stood at the control board. Bucky was wearing a long jacket that covered his metal arm. Steve stood on the platform, dressed in his uniform and carrying the case of Infinity Stones, Thor's hammer, and Loki's scepter.

"Now, remember– You have to return the stones to the exact moment you got them. Or you're gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities." Bruce warned him. 

"Don't worry, Bruce." Steve said, gripping the case handle tighter. "Clip all the branches. Everything back exactly the way it was."

There was a short silence. "You know, if you want, I can come with you." Sam told him.

"You're a good man, Sam." Steve said. "This one's on me, though." He walked over to Bucky, who was standing silently at the base of the platform.

"Don't do anything stupid until I get back."

Bucky smiled slightly. "How can I? You're taking all the stupid with you."

Steve laughed and hugged him. "Gonna miss you, buddy."

"It's gonna be ok." 

Steve climbed back on the platform and put up the helmet of the Quantum suit, and then gave a quick thumbs up to Bruce.

"How long is this gonna take?" Sam asked.

"For him? As long as he needs. For us? Five seconds." He pushed another button. "Ready Cap? We'll meet you back here okay? Going quantum in three...two...one..."

Steve disappeared.

"And returning in five...four...three...two....one!" Bruce switched it back.

Nothing happened.

"Where is he?" Sam demanded.

"I don't know. He flew right past his time stamp. He should be here. "

"Well get him back!" Sam said.

"I'm trying!"

"Get him the hell back!"

Bruce flicked the switch off, and then on again. There was a flash of light, and a figure appeared on the platform. Sam breathed a sigh of relief. But....

The helmet slid back to reveal a mess of red hair and soft, relieved green eyes. Natasha Romanoff stood on the platform, the empty Infinity Stone case in her hand.

Bruce froze, staring at her. Natasha grinned. "Told you I'd see you in a minute."

"Natasha...."

Natasha dropped the case on the edge of the platform and hopped off. "Well, let's not just stand here. He's waiting."

"Who's waiting?" Bruce asked, confused and still unable to take his eyes off her.

Instead of answering, Natasha started towards the edge of the lake. The others stared after her....to see an old man sitting on a log, staring across the water.

Sam slowly approached, passing Natasha. Steve looked up at him.

"You made it." Nat noted. Steve smiled gently.

"I told you I'd see you there."

She smiled, and then turned back as Bruce caught up with her, the look of joyous bewilderment still in his eyes. Bucky came up next to them, watching Sam and Steve.

"Cap?"

"Hi, Sam."

Sam let out a deep breath. "So...did something go wrong, or did something go right?"

Steve looked up at him. "Well...after I put the stones back, I thought, maybe I'll try some of that life Tony was telling me to get."

"How'd that work out for you?"

"It was beautiful." Steve said softly.

Sam smiled. "I'm happy for you. Truly."

"Thank you."

"Only thing bumming me out is the fact that I have to live in a world without Captain America."

"That reminds me." Steve said suddenly, pulling out a brown leather case. Carefully, he slide his shield out of it, and handed it to Sam. "Try it on."

Disbelieving, Sam glanced over at Bucky, who nodded once. Slowly, he slid the shield onto his arm.

"How does it feel?" Steve asked.

"Like it's someone's else's.

"It isn't."

Sam blinked back tears. "Thank you. I'll do my best."

"That's why its yours." Steve shook Sam's hand. Sam glanced down at the wedding ring on Steve's finger.

"You wanna tell me about her?"

Steve smiled again, but shook his head. "No. No, I don't think I will.

All around the world, humanity slowly began to heal. Scott Lang sat on the steps to his house, with his daughter sitting on one side, and Hope van Dyne on the other, watching the fireworks. Natasha found Clint on his farm...and all the other Avengers as well. T'Challa stood overlooking Wakanda, with his mother and his sister standing beside him. Peter Parker returned to his school, the burden of Spiderman a little less heavy on his shoulders. The 'Asgardians of the Galaxy' traveled through space in their search for Gamora, with Thor to help and sometimes to be a hindrance. On some distant planet, Loki continued his adventures. 

And the sun rose on a grateful universe.

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, I did bring back Nat and Loki as well as Tony FIGHT ME. This is my much happier version of Endgame...there's a lot more I wanted to put in, like Tony recovering in the hospital and making his metal arm, and Steve trading the Soul Stone back for Natasha, Loki trying to find a way to get to where the Avengers were and then just breaking into the Sanctum to steal a Sling Ring instead....but I couldn't really fit it all in. I did have fun twisting Thanos' words in that last sentence though.  
> Last note: Though this is the first work I've posted on AO3, I posted this and a bunch of other Marvel stuff on Quotev as well.


End file.
